There are many factors that determine how quickly freshly laid wax will dry. Room temperature, humidity, type of wax, thickness of the layer of wax laid and air circulation all affect whether the floor will be dry to the touch in one hour or ten. In most climate-controlled environments, each layer of wax should take about one hour to dry, but the entire floor may not dry at an even rate.

This is why a 24 hour cure time is ideal before the floor is walked on or furniture is placed back on it.

Furniture and equipment should never be dragged across VCT; it can scratch not only the wax but permanently mar the tile itself.

Stripping and waxing can remove stains, build shine, correct previous poor strip jobs and improve the general look but it can never guarantee 100% return to the original appearance. VCT is a porous material and dirt and grime may become permanently embedded in the exposed tile if all of the wax is allowed to wear away. You should never let 100% of the floor’s wax wear away before cleaning and re-sealing.

VCT is manufactured with a very thin factory finish coat of wax meant to protect it against minor abrasions during shipping and installation. This factory finish is not enough to endure daily wear and tear post-installation.

Once new VCT is installed

it must be properly stripped and waxed with at least two coats of new wax applied.

For the best results, have the VCT stripped and waxed prior to moving furniture or people into the space